The Padel Bandeja: How to Hit It, Step by Step
The bandeja: padel's most useful overhead
Quick take. The bandeja is a controlled, sliced overhead that keeps you at the net when the other pair lobs you. Turn side-on early, hit the ball at about eye height, swing across your body rather than down, and aim deep. It is not a winner: it is how you keep the net.
In Bangkok club games the same thing happens again and again. A pair wins the net, the other pair throws up a lob, and someone either lets it bounce and runs back, or tries to smash it and gives the point away. The bandeja is the shot in between. It is the most common overhead in padel: the LTA says it makes up 69% of overheads in the women's game.
What the bandeja is for
The bandeja is a defensive shot. Its job is to deal with a lob without giving up your place at the net. A good one lands deep, past the service line, with slice, so it does not jump up off the back glass. That gives the other pair nothing to attack and gives you time to get back to the net next to your partner.
How to hit it, step by step
- Turn early. As soon as you see the lob, turn side-on to the side wall. Fast, early movement makes everything else easier.
- Racket up, face up. Take the racket back high with the face pointing up, like a plate you are carrying food on.
- Move your feet. Small steps to get under the ball. Don't reach for it.
- Contact at eye height, in front of you. Let the ball drop to about the height of your eyes and meet it in front of your body.
- Swing across, not down. The racket travels from high to low but across your body, finishing wrapped around you like a scarf. That path puts underspin on the ball and gives you control.
- Recover. Use the momentum to move straight back to the net, level with your partner.
Common mistakes
- Hitting too hard. Pace leaves you no time to recover and makes the ball come off the glass for the other pair.
- Turning it into a smash. If the racket comes all the way down, you lose the slice and the control.
- Bad timing. Hitting the ball too high or too low instead of at eye height.
- Standing still. Most bad bandejas are footwork problems, not arm problems.
A simple drill for your next session
Ask a partner to stand at the back and feed lobs while you stand at the net. Hit ten bandejas cross-court aiming past the service line, then ten down the line, and count how many land deep. Then play points where the net pair may only use bandejas, no smashes. It teaches patience fast.
If you want a coach to look at your technique, see our coaching page and our guide to coaching prices in Bangkok. Then try it out at an Americano from the tournaments page.
Share your bandeja tips with other players: join the Bangkok Padel Community on Facebook.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is a bandeja in padel?
A controlled, sliced overhead hit from near the net. It deals with a lob without giving up the net: it lands deep with underspin so the other pair can't attack it.
What is the difference between a bandeja and a smash?
A smash is hit flat and hard with the racket coming all the way down, to win the point. A bandeja swings across the body with slice, for control, so you can keep your place at the net.
Where should a bandeja land?
Deep, past the service line, so the ball does not sit up for the other pair. Placement matters more than pace.
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